1/11
Syrian civil defence volunteers, known as the White Helmets, pull the body of a man from the rubble of destroyed buildings following a government forces air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Bustan al-Basha in the northern city of Aleppo, on October 4, 2016. Assad's forces advanced on rebels during intense street fighting in the opposition-held east of Aleppo city, which Russia has been accused of bombing indiscriminately including targeting its hospitals.

AFP PHOTO / THAER MOHAMMED

2/11
Syrian civil defence volunteers, known as the White Helmets, search for victims amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a government forces air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Bustan al-Basha in the northern city of Aleppo.

AFP PHOTO / THAER MOHAMMED

3/11
Syrian civil defence volunteers, known as the White Helmets, carry a body after digging it out from under the rubble of a building following a reported airstrike on the rebel-held district of al-Fardous in the northern city of Aleppo on July 23, 2016. Dozens of civilians died in bombardment across the country on July 23, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, and two civilians died in barrel bomb attacks in besieged parts of northern Aleppo city.

AFP PHOTO / KARAM AL-MASRI

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4/11
A Syrian civil defence volunteer, known as the White Helmets, holds the body of a child after he was pulled from the rubble following a government forces air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Karm Homad in the northern city of Aleppo, on October 4, 2016. Syrian regime forces advanced against rebels during intense street battles in the heart of Aleppo, after the United States abandoned talks with Russia aimed at reviving a ceasefire deal.

AFP PHOTO / AMEER ALHALBI

5/11
Syrian civil defence volunteers, known as the White Helmets, work around destroyed buildings following reported air strikes on the rebel-held town of Douma, on the eastern outskirts of the capital Damascus, on October 5, 2016. The White Helmets are a prominent Syrian group of emergency responders mainly made of volunteers.

AFP PHOTO / Sameer Al-Doumy

6/11
Syrian civil defence volunteers, known as the White Helmets, remove bits of a wall in a destroyed building following reported air strikes on the rebel-held town of Douma, on the eastern outskirts of the capital Damascus, on October 5, 2016. The White Helmets are a prominent Syrian group of emergency responders mainly made of volunteers.

AFP PHOTO / Sameer Al-Doumy

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7/11
Syrian civil defence volunteers, known as the White Helmets, take a break as they work at the site of a reported air strike in the rebel-held town of Douma, on the eastern outskirts of the capital Damascus, on October 5, 2016. The White Helmets are a prominent Syrian group of emergency responders mainly made of volunteers.

AFP PHOTO / Sameer Al-Doumy

8/11
EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / Syrian civil defence volunteers, known as the White Helmets, retrieve bodies from under the rubble of a building following a reported airstrike on September 23, 2016, on the al-Muasalat area in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. Missiles rained down on rebel-held areas of Syria's Aleppo, causing widespread destruction that overwhelmed rescue teams, as the army prepared a ground ofensive to retake the city.

AFP PHOTO / THAER MOHAMMED

9/11
Syrian civil defence volunteers, known as the White Helmets, search for victims amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a government forces air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Bustan al-Basha in the northern city of Aleppo, on October 4, 2016. Assad's forces advanced on rebels during intense street fighting in the opposition-held east of Aleppo city, which Russia has been accused of bombing indiscriminately including targeting its hospitals.

AFP PHOTO / THAER MOHAMMED

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10/11
Malik Sabag a 15-year-old Syrian civil defense, Malik is Having some break time in the civil defense center at Bab al-nairab neighborhood district in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, septemper 30, 2015. The Civil Defense in syria who are known as the white helmets work neutrally ,and their jobs are to pull out the people who are stuck under the rubble and put down the fire in syria which are caused by the shelling

Photo by Ameer Alhalbi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

11/11
Syrian civil defense member, helps an elderly man to cross a street in Bab al-Nairab district in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Novamber 29,2015 . Some 600 Syrians known as ''White Helmets'' or Syrian Civil Defense units, are organised volunteers who act as rescue members, work with no regard for sect or creed in areas like Aleppo and Idlib provinces in the country's northwest.

Photo by Ameer Alhalbi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Real war heroes: Syria's White Helmets could win Nobel Peace Prize

When the sound of bomb blasts and air strikes fill the air of Syrian cities, these people rush in while others take shelter. These people, who were once leading normal lives as engineers or doctors or students, are now the first rescuers to reach the spot of the destruction, searching and pulling people out of the rubble with their bare hands.

These people aren\'t armed, these people aren\'t planning revenge strikes; these people only save people\'s lives.

These people are Syria\'s White Helmets, a group of 3,000 local volunteers who have been nominated for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.

The volunteers of the White Helmets are dedicated to save the lives of people worst affected by the Syrian conflict. They help people who are shocked, wounded and tormented by war.

These rescue workers have saved more than 62,000 lives in Syria and for that, they have earned the Right to Livelihood Award which is also known as the \'Alternative Nobel Prize.\' They are also under constant attack in a war that seems intent on killing people.

Although it has received support from many organisations and high-profile figures around the world, it has been targeted by supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad\'s regime - and by Assad himself - for its ties to Western governments, from which the group receives millions in funding.

In Aleppo, 300,000 people have been exposed to relentless airstrikes. The Syrian government and Russia seem intent on crushing Aleppo, the opposition\'s last stronghold. Diplomacy in Aleppo has collapsed entirely, with no attempts at a ceasefire.

The white helmets do what they can locally, receiving a monthly stipend of only $150 per person. But what they represent is immense.

It is clear that these people do what they do not for money but for humanity. They represent bravery, resilience, and dedication in the time of barbarism. They uphold the ideals of humanity and their courage and bravery deserve a thousand prizes.

Syrian people have faced immeasurable atrocities and have been failed by their own government and the international community. So, as the Nobel prize committee prepares to announce this year\'s peace prize on Friday, the White Helmets of Syria deserve the recognition and appreciation that comes with the prize.

Priyata thinks in words and delivers in pictures. The marriage of the two, she believes, is of utmost importance. Priyata joined the Catch team after working at Barcroft Media as a picture desk editor. Prior to that she was on the Output Desk of NDTV 24X7. At work Priyata is all about the news. Outside of it, she can't stay far enough. She immerses herself in stories through films, books and television shows. Oh, and she can eat. Like really.